When dubbing, pick out how much you think you
need for the fly, then reduce it in half.

If your
hackle pliers are slipping, glue a thin piece of rubber band to the inside of
the blade to hold the feathers securely.

I would
recommend a beginner to wax their thread.

When tying in
deer hair use 2-3 pinching loops then if you want it to spin it tighten by
pulling thread down and if you want to tie in as a wing pull thread upwards to
hold in place

Every single
turn of the thread better have a damn good reason for being there.

Tie flies in
batches. This will lead to greater consistency and you don't waste as much time
handling different materials.

Wind rib
material the opposite way to the feather fiber etc underneath so that it
secures it more effectively.

When tying in
chenille etc strip the material from the core with your finger nails. Tie in the exposed thread core to the hook. Less bulk at the tie in point.

When coating
buzzers, 4 coats of Sally Hansen’s gives the right degree of coverage.

Learn to whip
finish with your fingers.

Save those
chip bags. They can make excellent tinsel in an array of colors. Great for body
material too!

Always have a
look in your local big box craft shop, home center, department store or dollar
store.

You can find some interesting fly tying materials at a fraction of the
price you’ll pay in a fly shop.

ALWAYS keep materials
you don’t want bugs to get into in the original sealed plastic bags they came
in.

Peacock herl
is brittle – always rib with wire or make a rope around your thread.

A frequent
half hitch will stop things becoming undone. perfectly acceptable to do so regarless of what someone may tell you.

Tie in game
feathers such as partridge by the tip as the stalk is too large.

Leave plenty
of room for your head (I’m guilty of not doing this)

Save the old
appliance cords and cut them to approximately 6-8 inches long. Strip away a few
of inches of the insulation to expose the fine copper wire inside. Great for
ribbing wire

You CAN use
your expensive scissors to cut wire! Just cut wire close to the pivot area.

Use what ever
kind of feather is lying around your tying area to clean out the head cement
from the

hook eye. Many other tying items can also be used to accomplish a
clean hook eye.

Thread
tension is very important. Try to tie with the thread at 90% breaking strain.

2 tight turns
of thread are better than 6 slack ones.

When tying
with flat stick on eyes, bending them into a vee shape like this < will make
installing them onto a rounded head much easier. After they are installed, I
will make an x wrap with clear mono thread and then coat with epoxy or the
current goos on the market. The mono will disappear, the eyes are held on tight
and the epoxy or goo makes a nice head.

Break your
thread! Get to know how much pressure you can apply to your tying thread by
making it break. If it does break, don’t panic! Simply attach your hackle pliers
to the broken end, unwrap a bit and then reattach your tying thread

When tying
deer hair wings a couple of loose wraps around base of wing prior to fixing it
in position prevents unwanted flare.

A stick with a
magnet taped to one end or a telescoping magnetic wand is the easiest way to find stray hooks and flies on the
floor.

Sharpen fly tying scissors by taking kitchen aluminum
foil and folding so that it is four layers thick.

Use scissors to make about 10
cuts with the full length of the blades ...... give the tips another 5 snips. Bingo
sharp scissors again.

Peacock herl!
Tie one in at the eye and one at the tail; take your thread back to the eye.
Wind the herl at the eye to the bend and then secure this by winding the tail
herl to the head, then secure with thread wraps.

Wet your
fingers when handling Goose biots. They'll stay in between your fingers and
save you the embarrassment of swearing at yourself.

When using
Holo tinsel and UV strands as a rib. Place the UV on top of the Holo tinsel. On
a bright day the tinsel glistens and when overcast or in low light the UV
glows.

Do you want
your dry flies to float all day and do so after catching fish? Use Scotchgard. Only
use this as a pretreatment on batches of new flies and do not over do it. Let
them dry for a couple of days.

You can also
convert your articulated reading/fly tying lamp into a gallows tool with the
aid of a child’s hair band and a spare hackle pliers.

If you ever
need emerald green tinsel, take a piece of pearl put a weight on each end and
cover the pearl using a black marker pen. When dry, turn it over you’ll have
emerald green.

Thread
control. Use thinner thread where possible.

Modern bobbin
holders and plastic spools have very little weight to hang and hold mid-tie
when winding ribs and hackles etc. Put a piece of lead or brass rod which will
fit within the spool between the holding axels to give weight.